Manufacture of tracks for electric toy railways

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of tracks for electric toy railways wherein a metallic piece is die-cut to show protruding fins imitating railway sleepers which are supported on dielectric pieces very similar in their looks to actual concrete blocks, these dielectric pieces serving to provide an electrical insulation between the rails and the metallic fins and to permit electrical connection of the toy railway network to power supply lines on any number of electric phases.

United States Patent 1 Francisco Roig Bach San Felix 2, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain [21] Appl. No. 769,599

[72] lnventor [22] Filed Oct. 22, 1968 [45] Patented Jan. 26, 1971 [32] Priority Nov. 2, 1967 [33] Spain [54] MANUFACTURE OF TRACKS FOR ELECTRIC 2,133,500 10/1938 Donnelley 2,665,848 1/1954 Smith et a] 238/10(B) FOREIGN PATENTS 1,058,894 6/1959 Germany 238/10(C) 642,220 8/1950 Great Britain 238/ 10(C Primary ExaminerArthur L. La Point Assistant ExaminerRichard A. Bertsch Attorney-McGlew and Toren ABSTRACT: The present invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of tracks for electric toy railways wherein a metallic piece is die-cut to show protruding fins imitating railway sleepers which are supported on dielectric pieces very similar in their looks to actual concrete blocks, these dielectric pieces serving to provide an electrical insulation between the rails and the metallic fins and to permit electrical connection of the toy railway network to power supply lines on any number of electric phases.

MANUFACTURE OF TRACKS FOR ELECTRIC TOY RAILWAYS The improvements of this invention are characterized particularly by the fact that there is provided a track for electric toy railways, wherein a metallic plate, die-cut to have crosswise fins, is coupled to a metallic baseplate having slots through which the fins protrude upwards, the two rails of the track being fitted over the baseplate by means of dielectric pieces for providing an electrical insulation between the rails and the metallic fins.

Preferably the fins are shaped to imitate sleepers, and the dielectric pieces are rendered to imitate the concrete blocks on which actual railway sleepers are supported.

The present invention will now be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings:

In the drawings,

FIG. I is a plan view of a length of track according to the in vention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the track shown in FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is an end section of the toy track;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the baseplate for the toy track;

FIG. 5 is an end section of the baseplate shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a piece of insulating material applicable onto the baseplate to form the fixation supports for the toy tracks;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section of an insulating piece as shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the insulating piece on which the track components are to be fixed;

FIG. 9 is a cross section of the fixation piece shown in FIG. 8; and

FIGS. 10 and 11 are respectively a plan view and a cross section of the plate showing fins serving as sleepers.

Referring to the drawings, the toy tracks comprise a metallic baseplate l on which a plurality of crosswise slots have been cut, such slots showing a narrow middle section 2 (FIG. 4) and oblong ends 3 to receive the protruding elements 4 whiches erve as fixation supports for rails 5 and 6 of the toy track.

The supports 4 form part of elongated pieces 7 of dielectric material, fitting over the lower plane of the baseplate l, on which there is similarly applied a metallic plate 8 die-cut to show fins 9 extending at right angles, to form the sleepers of the toy railway track.

The coupling of the plate 8 of sleepers to the baseplate l is done by means of fins 9 protruding upwards through the crosswise slots 2 cut on the baseplate 1.

The supports 4 for the rails 5 and 6 forming the toy track, show two fixation flanges each in the form of hooks l0 and 11 into which the lower flanges of either rail respectively fit.

The plate 8 of sleepers is fixed to the lower plane of baseplate l by means of a strip 12 having bent edges which fit over the edges 13 of the baseplate l, the edges 13 being bent inwards.

The toy railway tracks comprise straight, curved, and combined lengths, also sidings and crossings, thus permitting the layout of railway track networks of various shapes.

The fact that the two rails fonning the toy track are insulated from each other and from their common baseplate, as well as from the plate of sleepers, allows for safe electrical connection of the system to various sources of supply and on two or more electric phases. A

I claim: 7

l. A track assembly for electric toy railways simulating actual track assemblies where the rails are supported on concrete blocks interconnected by metallic cross ties, comprises a longitudinally extending metallic base plate having a plurality of slots extending transversely of the longitudinal direction of said baseplate, said baseplate having an upper surface and a lower surface, an elongated section of dielectric material comprising a multiplicity of interconnected spaced blocklike parts, said section of dielectric material located along the lower surface of said baseplate, and said blocklike parts thereof extending upwardly through a portion of the slots in said baseplate, said blocklike parts arranged in two columns extending in the longitudinal direction of said baseplate, means for holding said section of dielectric material against the lower surface of said baseplate comprising a longitudinally extending metallic plate disposed below and spaced from the lower surface of said baseplate by said section of dielectric material, said metallic plate having a multiplicity of fins extending transversely of the longitudinal direction of said metallic plate and said fins extending upwardly through a portion of said slots in said baseplate so that each of said fins extends between a pair of transversely spaced said blocklike parts simulating the sleepers or cross ties of an actual track assembly, and a pair of longitudinally extending laterally spaced rails, each of said rails secured to said blocklike parts in one of said columns of blocklike parts so that said blocklike parts simulate the concrete support blocks of an actual track assembly.

2. A track assembly, as set forth in claim I, wherein the slots in said metallic baseplate comprise a pair of transversely spaced end portions having a shape suitable to receive said blocklike parts, and the remainder of said slots extending between said end parts having a reduced dimension in the longitudinal direction of said metallic baseplate for receiving said fins so that said fins extend across said metallic baseplate between said blocklike parts extending through the end parts of said slots in said baseplate.

3. A track assembly, as set forth in claim I, wherein said blocklike parts having an upper surface arranged to be spaced above the upper surface of said metallic baseplate when said blocklike parts extend through said slots in said baseplate, a pair of spaced projections extending upwardly from the upper surface of each said blocklike part, said projections having a first leg extending upwardly from the upper surface of said blocklike part and a second leg extending from the upper end of said first leg toward the second leg of the other said projection on said blocklike part so that second legs on said projections form flanges for securing said rails to said blocklike parts.

4. A track assembly, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said metallic baseplate comprises a baseplate part having a pair of longitudinally extending edges, a sidewall secured to and extending along each of said longitudinally extending edges of said baseplate part, said sidewalls extending downwardly from the upper surface of said baseplate, and the lower longitudinally extending edges of said sidewalls bent inwardly toward one another providing a pair of inwardly directed edges for supporting said means for holding said section of dielectric material against the lower surface of said baseplate.

5. A track assembly, as set forth-in claim 4, wherein said means for holding said section of dielectric material comprising a longitudinally extending strip having an upper surface and a lower surface and a pair of longitudinally extending edges bent downwardly away from the upper surface thereof, the upper surface of said strip positioned in contact with the lower surface of said metallic plate and the downwardly bent longitudinally extending edges of said strip in contacting engagement with the inwardly bent lower edges of said sidewalls of said baseplate so that said strip is supported along its edges .on said baseplate and holds said metallic plate in place against said section of dielectric material which in turn is held against the lower surface of said baseplate.

6. A track assembly, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said baseplate comprises a base section and a pair of sidewalls extending downwardly and longitudinally along the edges of said base section, the lower ends of said sidewalls being bent inwardly toward one another, the slots in said baseplate being formed in the base section thereof and having a pair of endslot sections arranged to receive said blocklike parts and a middle-slot section extending between said end-slot sections and arranged to receive said fins on said metallic plate, said blocklike parts of said section of dielectric material having a shape conforming to the shape of said end-slot sections for engagement therein and the upper surface of said blocklike parts located above the upper surface of said base section of said baseplate, a pair of transversely spaced hooklike projections formed on the upper surface of said blocklike parts with said hooklike projections facing one another for forming flanges dielectric material, and "a strip having an upper surface and a for engaging said rails, said fins on said metallic plate bent upwardly from the upper surface thereof and extending through the middle-slot sections of said baseplate so that said ties extend between said blocklike parts, the upper surface of said metallic plate contacting the lower surface of said section of 

1. A track assembly for electric toy railways simulating actual track assemblies where the rails are supported on concrete blocks interconnected by metallic cross ties, comprises a longitudinally extending metallic base plate having a plurality of slots extending transversely of the longitudinal direction of said baseplate, said baseplate having an upper surface and a lower surface, an elongated section of dielectric material comprising a multiplicity of interconnected spaced blocklike parts, said section of dielectric material located along the lower surface of said baseplate, and said blocklike parts thereof extending upwardly through a portion of the slots in said baseplate, said blocklike parts arranged in two columns extending in the longitudinal direction of said baseplate, means for holding said section of dielectric material against the lower surface of said baseplate comprising a longitudinally extending metallic plate disposed below and spaced from the lower surface of said baseplate by said section of dielectric material, said metallic plate having a multiplicity of fins extending transversely of the longitudinal direction of said metallic plate and said fins extending upwardly through a portion of said slots in said baseplate so that each of said fins extends between a pair of transversely spaced said blocklike parts simulating the sleepers or cross ties of an actual track assembly, and a pair of longitudinally extending laterally spaced rails, each of said rails secured to said blocklike parts in one of said columns of blocklike parts so that said blocklike parts simulate the concrete support blocks of an actual track assembly.
 2. A track assembly, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the slots in said metallic baseplate comprise a pair of transversely spaced end portions having a shape suitable to receive said blocklike parts, and the remainder of said slots extending between said end parts having a reduced dimension in the longitudinal direction of said metallic baseplate for receiving said fins so that said fins extend across said metallic baseplate between said blocklike parts extending through the end parts of said slots in said baseplate.
 3. A track assembly, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said blocklike parts having an upper surface arranged to be spaced above the upper surface of said metallic baseplate when said blocklike parts extend through said slots in said baseplate, a pair of spaced projections extending upwardly from the upper surface of each said blocklike part, said projections having a first leg extending upwardly from the upper surface of said blocklike part and a second leg extending from the upper end of said first leg toward the second leg of the other said projection on said blocklike part so that second legs on said projections form flanges for securing said rails to said blocklike parts.
 4. A track assembly, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said metallic baseplate comprises a baseplate part having a pair of longitudinally extending edges, a sidewall secured to and extending along each of said longitudinally extending edges of said baseplate part, said sidewalls extending downwardly from the upper surface of said baseplate, and the lower longitudinally extending edges of said sidewalls bent inwardly toward one another providing a pair of inwardly directed edges for supporting said means for holding said section of dielectric material against the lower surface of said baseplate.
 5. A track assembly, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said means for holding said section of dielectric material comprising a longitudinally extending strip having an upper surface and a lower surface and a pair of longitudinally extending edges bent downwardly away from the uppeR surface thereof, the upper surface of said strip positioned in contact with the lower surface of said metallic plate and the downwardly bent longitudinally extending edges of said strip in contacting engagement with the inwardly bent lower edges of said sidewalls of said baseplate so that said strip is supported along its edges on said baseplate and holds said metallic plate in place against said section of dielectric material which in turn is held against the lower surface of said baseplate.
 6. A track assembly, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said baseplate comprises a base section and a pair of sidewalls extending downwardly and longitudinally along the edges of said base section, the lower ends of said sidewalls being bent inwardly toward one another, the slots in said baseplate being formed in the base section thereof and having a pair of end-slot sections arranged to receive said blocklike parts and a middle-slot section extending between said end-slot sections and arranged to receive said fins on said metallic plate, said blocklike parts of said section of dielectric material having a shape conforming to the shape of said end-slot sections for engagement therein and the upper surface of said blocklike parts located above the upper surface of said base section of said baseplate, a pair of transversely spaced hooklike projections formed on the upper surface of said blocklike parts with said hooklike projections facing one another for forming flanges for engaging said rails, said fins on said metallic plate bent upwardly from the upper surface thereof and extending through the middle-slot sections of said baseplate so that said ties extend between said blocklike parts, the upper surface of said metallic plate contacting the lower surface of said section of dielectric material, and a strip having an upper surface and a lower surface and a pair of downwardly projecting longitudinally extending edges, the upper surface of said strip disposed in contact with the lower surface of said metallic plate and the lower surface of the downwardly projecting edges of said strip supported on the inwardly directed edges of said sidewalls of said baseplate for supporting said strip from said baseplate and in turn holding said metallic plate and said section of dielectric material against the lower surface of said baseplate. 